Tony Iommi has set From the Dark for Oct. 23 and put out its first single, "World Alone," after unveiling the project at a livestreamed event in Birmingham, England. At 78, he is treating the record as a clean break from the long gap since his last solo album, not as a side note.
World Alone in Birmingham
The new album is Iommi’s first solo release in more than two decades, and the timing is the point. He paired the announcement with the video for "World Alone," giving listeners an immediate sample of the record’s direction instead of a simple title drop.
That first track matters because it sets the frame for the rest of the album without exhausting it. Iommi said, "I tend to always start off with the doomy stuff" and "I just get absorbed with doomy riffs." He added, "I still like the up-tempo stuff, of course, though," which tells you the album is built from contrast rather than a single mood.
Half a decade of ideas
Iommi said the album came together over at least half a decade of ideas, and that longer runway shows up in the credits. Mike Exeter co-produced the record with him, Becky Baldwin plays bass, Karl Brazil is on drums, and Mike Exeter also plays keys. Jørn Lande handles vocals, while Brian May contributes a guest solo on "Death Wake."
The track list also includes "Legacy" and "Stormwatcher," and the project pulls together material that had been building in pieces. Iommi recorded "Scent of Dark" in 2021 and "Deified" in 2024 for release with his designer perfume, so From the Dark folds those instrumental releases into a broader solo statement instead of leaving them as one-off products.
Black Sabbath is finished
He tied the album’s arrival to the end of Black Sabbath’s run, saying, "Black Sabbath’s now finished as far as the band goes, really." He also said, "Anything I’d do with Black Sabbath would just be me, and I don’t want to do that again," which makes the solo route the practical one rather than a placeholder for the band name.
Iommi added, "Obviously, the last stuff was with Ozz" and, when asked how he connected with Lande, "We’ve worked with him before." That keeps the album anchored in familiar musical relationships while making clear that this release is his own lane, not a revival project. For listeners, the key detail is simple: the next piece of new Iommi material is already dated, and it arrives outside the Black Sabbath brand that defined the last chapter.
